Improvement in top-joints for vehicles



F. A. B RA D LEY.

Top-Joints for Vehicles.

Patented April 28, 1874.

a HAHA@ mv UNITED STATES PATENT DEEICE.

FREDERICK A. BRADLEY, OF NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT, 4ASSICrNOIt TO HIMSELF AND ENGLISH & MERSICK, OF SAME PLACE.

IMPROVEMENT IN TOP-JOINTS FOR VEHICLES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 150,280, dated April 28, 1874 application filed October 1, 1873.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, FREDERICK A. BRAD- LEY, of New Haven, in the county of New Haven and State of Connecticut, have invented a new Improvement in Carriage-Top Joint; and I do hereby declare the following, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings and the letters of reference marked thereon, to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, and which said drawings constitute part of this specification, and represent, in-

Figure l, a side view, looking from the inside of the carriage, of the two bows with the joint between extended 5 Fig. 2, a side view of the same as when'the top is thrown back; Fig. 3, a top view as in the position of Fig. l; Fig. 4, a top view in the position of Fig. 2, and in Fig. 5, a diagram illustrating the operation.

This invention relates to a device for supporting the bows of a carriage-top when in a raised position.

In the usual construction one of the topprops is applied to the second bow from the rear, and the braces attached to that, so that when a connection is made between the second bow and the rear bow it must be an independent device. In some cases there has been placed between these two bows a jointed brace, one arm hinged to each of the bows, the joint lying vertically, so that when the bows are Iclosed the arms ofthe brace will close onto the bows. This prevents the cover from folding inward between the bows, which is desirable in order to prevent the breaking or wearing of the cover. This method of hanging the brace has been necessitated because of the relative position ofthe two bows, as seen in Fig. 5, a representing the rear bow, and b the next forward bow. The several bows are hinged together at the point el, so that the rear bow is nearly perpendicular; hence the point c on the forward bow, when thrown back, will reach up to the point c on the rear bow, whereas it is desirable that the brace should be in nearly a horizontal line, or attached to the bow at f. The object of this invention is the attachment of a hinged brace to these bows, so that the brace may fold transversely or inward instead of vertically, as heretofore 5 and the invention consists in attaching the two ends of the hinged brace to the respective bows by an adjustable universal joint, or joint havingy the ability of turning in a combined transverse and vertical direction, and adjustable to make the brace longer or shorter, as may be required.

A represents the rear bow, and I3 the next forward bow. C D are the two arms ofthe brace, hinged together at E in substantially the usual manner for carriage-top braces. The points at which it is desirable to attach the brace, in order to have it in the proper position, are F on the brace B, and G on the brace A. The joint lies Hat-that is, so as to fold at nearly right angles to the bows-as seen in Figs. 3 and 4. These points of attachment are the same as c and f, Fig. 5, as the point c will, as shown, strike the point c above the point f, or, as seen in Fig. 2, it follows that a simple transverse movement of the braces at their hinged points will not allow this result; hence a vertical movement must be given to the hinged ends. I therefore form an eye, g, in each end of the brace, and attach the ends to the bows by a corresponding eye, 7L, which allows the necessary vertical movement, so that in closing, as from the position in Fig. l to that in Fig. 2, or from the position in Fig. 3 to that in Fig. 4, the brace will turn at the hinged points vertically as well as transversely. The brace thus turninginward allows the cover of the top to fold in between the bows the same as if the brace were not there.

In applying this brace there will be slight variation in the distance between the bows; it is, therefore, essential that the attachment of the brace to the bows should be adjustable. For this purpose I make the eyes by which the brace is secured to the bows with a screw, as seen in Figs. l and 2, so as to be screwed into the bows unt-il the exact length for the brace is attained; and if, at any time, it is desirable to tighten or loosen the brace, it may be done by Ytirst taking out the rivet in the joint,r then turning the braces accordingly.

The adjustment of the brace is in the line of the axis of the screw-joints, and not in the direction ofthe length of the bows. It will be understood that this brace is arranged inside their extreme end with a universal joint, made the carriage-top cover, and is not exposed adjustable in the direction of the axis of the from the outside. joint, by which to connect said arms to their I do not, broadly, claim the introduction of respective bows, all combined substantially as a hinged brace between the adjacent bows of described.

a carriage-top, as such, I am aware, is not new. F. A. BRADLEY.

I claim as my invention- Vitnesses: The carriagetop joint consisting of the two A. J. TLBBITs, arms C D, hinged together and provided at J. H. SHUMWAY. 

